Honky tonk music originally developed in the 40’s in honky tonk bars near Texan oil fields. Honky tonk acts typically included drums, stand-up bass, fiddle, pedal steel guitar, and acoustic guitar, and the songs tended to be about pain, heartbreak, love, and loneliness.

Country music was among the earliest genres in American popular music, with the very earliest style being old-time music. It evolved in the American’s southeastern states as a combination of African American blues, church music, and folk music from the British Isles. It was performed on such instruments as the banjo, fiddle, autoharp, mandolin, and the acoustic guitar. Old-time music […]

The Foxtrot is a famous ballroom dance that has been around for decades. For those familiar with ballroom dancing stars, the dancer Fred Astaire is a well-known name. Fred Astaire with his partner Ginger Rogers is said to be the best at the Foxtrot. The dance is meant to compliment Astaire’s smooth dancing ability. When audiences saw his performances, other […]

Music is discovered continuously in the most unusual of places, from bathrooms to your nan’s living room. As a type of music that makes use of all the styles of music, Ska mainly originated in Jamaica. The form primarily comprises of American jazz mixed with R&B. Ska is considered to be punk music but a lot slower with brass and […]

Getting married is one of the most important and perfect occasions in a person’s life. Apart from the hundreds of activities planned for the wedding, most people forget about the music that would be played during the entire event until the last minute. Apart from the actual ceremony music, people usually opt for bands to come and play for a […]

Jazz, Blues, Funk, RnB and Gospel music and all the styles in between are driven by African American origins. The musical instruments that are used in producing African American music like the Banjo and Drums have been used across several styles, to create the rhythm and beat that is associated with foot-tapping music. Music has a strong ability to connect […]

African American music made a big impact on the music lovers around the world. A fitting name to describe the genre was Soul. The late 1950s, saw the rise of Soul music artists with the rising popularity of gospel music in the African American churches. The song originates from the times when slavery was predominant in America. The Africans were […]

Some of the greatest songs serve as inspiration for people to start playing the guitar. Watching their favourite guitarist rip across the fret, leaves enthusiasts wanting to be just like their heroes. To any seasoned guitarist, this is perhaps the first step to learning the instrument – the fascination. Even if you have never touched an instrument before, the guitar is […]

Jazz, Blues, Funk, RnB and Gospel music and all the styles in between are driven by African American origins. The musical instruments that are used in producing African American music like the Banjo and Drums have been used across several styles, to create the rhythm and beat that is associated with foot-tapping music. Music has a strong ability to connect with people irrespective of their race, colour or creed. You don’t have to know the language of the music to be able to enjoy it. The African American music that was brought to America through the slaves has helped in connecting people all over the world in one voice and one soul. The Impact of Blues Music Only around the 20th century is when blues music gained popularity. The slaves who toiled in the fields sang in the blues style and used them in their church services. The true essence of blues music lies in the message that it carries. Hardships of people in an era that oppressed them were conveyed in the music. Their joys and praises were also an essential part of the style. The beauty of Blues music is that it is an outlet for expressing joy...

African American music made a big impact on the music lovers around the world. A fitting name to describe the genre was Soul. The late 1950s, saw the rise of Soul music artists with the rising popularity of gospel music in the African American churches. The song originates from the times when slavery was predominant in America. The Africans were not allowed to worship, in the churches that the whites went to. Hence, they set up their own churches and same the same songs that the white Americans sang. In fact, they improvised and included a twist to the style with innovative voice modulations. The upbeat tempo they adopted, along with singing and dancing seemed to convey the true meaning of the songs, that were traditionally sang at a very slow tempo. Ray Charles Ray Charles is one of the famous artists, who influenced the type of soul music that was up-tempo. His song “I’ve got a woman” is a version of a gospel song, which is very slow. The gospel version was sung in churches, while the Ray Charles version was developed as a record for the rest of world to enjoy. Ray Charles does the same to a...

Some of the greatest songs serve as inspiration for people to start playing the guitar. Watching their favourite guitarist rip across the fret, leaves enthusiasts wanting to be just like their heroes. To any seasoned guitarist, this is perhaps the first step to learning the instrument – the fascination. Even if you have never touched an instrument before, the guitar is a great place to start. However, it is important that you choose the right style of guitar picking to go with the music you like. Each style of music has its own technique when it comes to guitar playing. So, either pick the style of music and learn the guitar technique for it or try the technique and choose the style of music you can play with it. Guitars can also choose between the types of guitars they want to start playing when they start off. Electric guitars and acoustic guitars are the two main types that people choose. The acoustic is a favourite when starting off a guitar course. The Main Lead The main guitarist that you probably have noticed in the music videos are the lead guitarists. They play the lead and are the ones that steal the...

There are so many instruments that you can choose to learn. However, almost everyone is drawn to the beautiful folk style of the ukulele. The ukulele has only 4 strings and is an easier choice when it comes to mastering. People also find that the ukulele is very easy to manage when compared to a large guitar mainly because of its size. If you have small hands, then don’t even try to learn the guitar. The guitar fret is very difficult to reach and master and might soon dampen learning efforts. For this reason alone, the ukulele is a favourite. The instrument originates from Hawaii and the music played was folk Hawaiian music. Tones and Styles The tones that can be played on the Ukulele is predominantly limited. Unlike the guitar, the ukulele offers a small variety of music styles that can be played on it. Guitarists who choose to play the ukulele are usually those who want to pick it up for fun and play between a group of friends. However, there are heavier styles that can be played on the ukulele. Though it might not sound the same, experiments are always welcome in the field of music. The...

The blues is a musical form that came from within the Deep South in the late 1800s after the civil war; especially Mississippi, Texas, and Louisiana. Although the origins of the blues genre are as American as you can get, its roots are steeped in tragedy, thus how the style got its name. Slavery and the Blues Hundreds of years of slavery brought field hollers, spirituals and work songs with it. African American’s expressed their sufferings and hope through music that became known as the blues. It’s generally known that the blues came from old African forms of music combined with the styles of country dance and revivalist hymns. Unfortunately, most of the earliest forms of it went to the graves with the first slaves and sharecroppers. Back in those days, it was not possible to record it for all of posterity. The earliest recorded forms of the blues that we have are from the 1920s. If you’re interested in hearing some, look for artists like: Leadbelly Charlie Patton Son House Blind Lemon Jefferson The Blues Goes Mainstream A man named W.C. Handy helped raise public awareness of the blues genre in 1912. He transcribed and published sheet music for...